OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT LEE BOLLINGER AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

FROM COLUMBIA FACULTY

As Columbia University faculty and residents of Morningside Heights/Harlem, we share with other West Harlem residents serious concerns about the university's current expansion plans. While we acknowledge the university's recent growth and need for more space, we also recognize the negative impact expansion into West Harlem will have on local residents and businesses, especially if Columbia University proceeds without the community's full and vigorous input. Representatives from Community Board 9 and members of the Coalition to Preserve Community have argued persuasively that the university's plans will result in further gentrification of West Harlem, rising housing costs, and the displacement of local businesses and low-income residents. Property values in the area are projected to increase by 300%, which means that landlords can more aggressively force out tenants to make room for high end renters, thus resulting in widespread secondary displacement. We find this unacceptable. The threat alone has contributed to further deterioration of relations between Columbia and the community--our community.

There is a solution. At the very minimum, we are calling on the university to proceed according to the 197-A Plan adopted by Community Board 9, and to enter into a Community Benefits Agreement with the Community Board.

As you know, Community Board 9 has been working on its 197-A Plan for over 12 years. The plan gives a thorough and documented picture of present conditions within the district and recommendations for future action in the area, such as the preservation of existing low-cost housing, job creation, local economic development and protection of existing businesses, and environmental sustainability.

Entering into a Community Benefits Agreement with local residents is an essential step toward a more equitable solution. The kinds of concessions the Community Board and the CPC are asking for--additional green space, living-wage jobs, maintenance and some low-income housing, for example--are not only just and reasonable, but they will enhance economic development and strengthen community ties with Columbia University. And there are precedents.

Recently, Harvard University entered into a similar agreement after it planned to expand its campus and student housing facilities to the neighborhood of Allston in Cambridge. In order to avert secondary displacement, the university agreed to substantially fund a 50-unit affordable housing development in Allston and to provide $20 million dollars for low-interest loans to nonprofits dedicated to restoring and building affordable housing. The money was split equally between Boston and Cambridge. Harvard also pledged $5 million over five years to enhance after-school programs in the Boston area. (Boston Globe, December 3, 2003) In this case, Harvard offers a superior model for developing community relations.

Not long ago, President Bollinger described Columbia "as an institution that the communities can work with and trust over time." (Spectator, October 27, 2003) But building trust requires compromise and honest community engagement, not an "all or nothing" posture which has thus far characterized the University's position. Good faith support for CB 9's 197-A Plan and a Community Benefits Agreement is a necessary step if the university wants to establish a relationship with our community based on trust, good will and mutual respect.

Signed,